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Kalpala
Kalpala (officially the Republic of Kalpala; Kalpalan: Kalpalan tasavalta) is a country in the northern Toy Islands located northeast of the USSRT. The capital city is Vaallapsi, which is also the largest city. The country shares borders with Tabi'atstan to the south and west, Meziljava and Visgaunia and Lenpasia to the north, and StarLand and Trevallyland to the east. The majority of Kalpalan ethnic groups are classified as Uralic peoples. Modern Kalpalan history is widely regarded as beginning in 1918 with the beginning of the Kindred Wars, known in the Kalpalan language as the sukusodat, with the series of conflicts ending in 1922 and resulting in the independence of Kalpala from Krakozhia. The country was wreaked by political instability throughout the Cold War until late 1980 when it was annexed by Tabi'atstan, although insurgents continued to fight until 1987. In November 2015 the Kalpalan Soviet Socialist Republic was formed to prepare the country for independence, which was granted on the 12th June 2017 when the KSSR caretaker government was dissolved and replaced by the Republic of Kalpala. Kalpala is an industrialised country, although the transformation towards industrialisation occurred rather late, with the country continuing to be a mainly agrarian society into the 1950s. The country's main industries are forestry, shipbuilding, and high-tech manufacturing. Kalpalan citizens have free universal healthcare and education provided by the state. The Republic of Kalpala is considered a middle power with a moderate level of influence especially on its northern neighbours, the Republic of Meziljava and the Federation of Visgaunia and Lenpasia. Kalpala has a reasonably sized military, with conscription being enforced. Etymology The name "Kalpala" means "Land of the Sword". Traditionally in Kalpalan culture, possession of a sword denoted high social rank. History Independence from Krakozhian states From 1918 to 1922, Kalpala was ravaged by a series of devastating conflicts that ultimately brought about the independence of Kalpala from the Krakozhian Commonwealth. These wars are known in Kalpalan history as the sukusodat, or the Kindred Wars. Second World War Cold War With the end of the war, the Tabi'atstani government began to support the Communist Party of Kalpala by sending arms and money. Despite the fact that the Kalpalan communists were a member of the newly voted in National Front, the Tabi'atstani government believed that it was possible to overthrow the constitutional Kalpalan government and replace it with a single-party socialist state. On the 7th April 1948, the People's Democratic Army of Kalpala (the armed branch of the communist party) declared the formation of the Kalpalan Soviet Democratic Republic in the town of NAME, close to the border with TRA-occupied Meziljava. In 1950, President Pertti Jarmo Suokas of the KSDR suggested that Kalpala, the USSRT, and possibly Krakozhia could form a loose political federation called the Federation of Socialist Republics. The offer was rejected by the Tabi'atstani government, and Suokas himself was forced to back down on the offer when Shah Kayvan Behzadi II of Muzaffaridistan threatened to invade Kalpala and become involved in the civil war if the merger went through. The incident also effectively destroyed the reputation of the Kalpalan Soviet Democratic Republic and the Communist Party of Kalpala. By the beginning of 1951, the Tabi'atstani government decided that the war was a lost cause and that the political complications with the West were not worth the continuation of the conflict. On the 19th February, the border between Tabi'atstani Meziljava and Kalpala was closed, effectively cutting off supplies to the PDAK. On the same day, the Tabi'atstani government ordered the Communist Party of Kalpala to enter negotiations with the government of the Republic of Kalpala. On the 25th February, the Kalpalan Soviet Democratic Republic was dissolved by its own President Suokas, on the orders of the Tabi'atstani Politburo. Snap elections were held on the 11th January 1952 to elect a new president, with Viljo Mainio Kivimäki of the Centre Party ultimately ascending to the position. By this time the Tabi'atstani government recognised that a mass people’s uprising against the Kalpalan government was unlikely, and instead offered to cede the Meziljava area (captured during the invasion of Krakozhia) to Kalpala in return for a pledge of Kalpalan neutrality. President Kivimäki accepted the offer, and on the 3rd October 1956, a bill was passed through the Kalpalan parliament to approve this. However, in 1959, the Tabi'atstani government demanded that Kalpala lease the ports of NAME and NAME for use by the Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Navy and to ratify a treaty stating that Kalpala would be "permitted to request assistance from the Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Army" in the case of attack by the Western powers. This would in effect be in violation of the 1956 Neutrality Act, but after an incident where twelve TRN frigates sailed within 20 nautical miles of the port of NAME, the Kalpalan parliament quickly passed a bill to accept the Tabi'atstani demands on the 16th June. Protests and civil war Disillusioned with traditional Kalpalan values and inspired by international protests elsewhere, Kalpalan students began demonstrating against the government on the 7th November 1968. By February 1969, this had devolved into political terrorism between far-left and far-right groups, with the government desperately attempting to maintain order. Furthermore, ethnic and sectarian violence began to emerge. The continued violence was facilitated by secret arms shipments from Muzaffaridistan, whose Western backed government had a vested interest in destabilising Tabi’atstan and Krakozhia, both of whom bordered Kalpala. President Kivimäki completed his third term in 1970. Despite the fact that he was still comparatively popular among the Kalpalan population, he decided to retire for health reasons. It was later found that he had begun to suffer from dementia in the middle of his third term. In his place, Erkki Tarmo Rasila was elected President of Kalpala. On the 24th May 1974, street battles began in the capital city, previously relatively free from political violence save for rallies that occasionally led to confrontations between left-wing and right-wing protesters. Supported by the Muzaffaridistani government, which had amassed troops near the border of Meziljava and Saranjmar, a Kalpalan colonel named NAME formed the Army of Free Kalpala, which claimed loyalty to the government of President Rasila. In March 1975, President Rasila decided to request assistance from the USSRT to help restore order in the Kalpala. In 1978, Tabi'atstani President Rong Jiawang urged Chairman Terho Aulis Mäkinen of the Kalpalan Agrarian-Worker's Party (the reformed Communist Party) to gain support within the party for the annexation of Kalpala as an Autonomous Socialist Republic in case the situation were to worsen. With the collapse of détente in 1980, President Rong believed that there was no reason for restraint in Tabi'atstani actions, as he thought that relations with the West could not possibly get worse. As such, on the 9th October 1980, he ordered Chairman Mäkinen to carry out the plan for the annexation of Kalpala into the USSRT. An extra three divisions of TRA troops were shipped to Kalpala to oversee the procedure, adding to the four divisions already stationed there. Tabi'atstani rule Whilst official Tabi'atstani control over Kalpala began on the 12th October 1980, partisans continued fighting against Tabi'atstani control for another seven years. The Tabi'atstani strategy was to first consolidate power over important urban areas and lines of communication, after which troops would slowly advance into the Kalpalan hinterland to sweep for guerrilla fighters. In more remote areas of the countryside, protected villages were formed which locals were forced to relocate to in an attempt to deny the partisans support from the local population. Until mid-1982, various areas of rural Kalpala were considered no-go zones due to the high prevalence of partisan activities. Almost all partisans in Kalpala laid down their weapons after an amnesty was offered by the Tabi'atstani government in 1987. Increased autonomy On the 4th November 2015, the Tabi'atstani government announced the formation of the Kalpalan Soviet Socialist Republic, which was created as a constituent republic of Tabi'atstan with the ultimate goal of eventually granting the republic independence. Under this arrangement, Kalpala was officially ruled as a condominium between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of Tabi'atstan and the Kalpalan Soviet Socialist Republic (KSSR). However, the KSSR was itself an administrative district of the USSRT. Untenmaa and Suuräme were governed by the government of the USSRT as provinces, whilst under the KSSR they were recognised as regions ("alue") which were further divided into provinces ("maakunta"). In practice, the USSRT provincial governors for Untenmaa and Suuräme were also the regional governors of the same areas under the KSSR. Modern era On the 12th June 2017, Kalpala became the first of the northern provinces of Tabi'atstan to be granted independence. The transitional government of the Kalpalan Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished and replaced by the new government of the Republic of Kalpala. Geography The terrain of western Kalpala primarily consists of swamps and lakes, whilst eastern Kalpala has large forests. Climate Southern Kalpala predominantly has a Köppen climate classification of Dfb (humid continental climate), whilst most of northern Kalpala (particularly in the northwest of the country) has a Köppen climate classification of Cfb (oceanic climate). Biodiversity Politics and government Kalpalan presidential terms are six years long. Administrative divisions Kalpala is divided into 26 regular provinces and four autonomous provinces. Military The armed forces of the Republic of Kalpala are known as the Kalpalan Defence Forces. The KPF is supported by the Civic Guards, also known as the Kansalaisvartijat, a volunteer citizen's militia, and the Support Foundation of Kalpalan Women, or Kalpalan Naisten Huoltosäätiö, a women's voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation. Foreign relations Kalpala and Tabi'atstan signed an Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, similar to Tanzab, Visgaunia-Lenpasia, and Meziljava, with the Agreement stating that Kalpala will resist any state trying to go through Kalpalan territory to attack Tabi'atstan (with Tabi'atstan providing assistance if Kalpalan forces are unable to deal with the attack effectively themselves) and that Kalpala will not join any alliance or coalition directed against Tabi'atstan. Kalpala has a territorial dispute with the Federation of Visgaunia and Lenpasia over the area of Lielvani. Border clashes occurred on the 6th July 2017 between the two countries when Visgaunian-Lenpasian troops crossed the border into Kalpala. Economy The largest sectors of the Kalpalan economy are forestry, shipbuilding, and high-tech manufacturing, although agriculture continues to be important for rural residents. Mining is another minor sector of the economy, with chromium mines being located in the south and iron mines in the north near the capital. Some of the largest companies in Kalpala include Kalmek, NAME, and NAME. Transport and infrastructure Energy Science and technology Culture Cuisine Kalpala is part of the vodka and beer alcohol belts in the Toy Islands, and is particularly famous for its viina and NAME beer. Viina is technically not vodka, but a type of "Brännvin". Symbols The national personification of the Kalpalan nation is the Lady of Kalpala. Swords are an important part of Kalpalan culture, as evidenced by the name of the region itself. Whilst most Kalpalan swords are straight, there are some examples of Kalpalan swords which have curved blades, somewhat like Tabi'atstani shamshirs. Also closely tied to Kalpalan culture is the puika, a traditional belt knife. As the puika is not designed to be a weapon, it normally lacks a crossguard. They are typically no larger than 5 inches in length. The blade of a puika is often made with a layer of very hard steel pressed between two layers of softer metal. The core is traditionally made of either crucible steel or silver steel. The handle of a puika is normally made from the wood of a birch tree, although other wood, bone, and horns are also used. Historically, wealthier members of Kalpalan society would import the fangs of Marbozorgs from Tabi'atstan to manufacture puika handles from. Category:States Category:Kalpala